Process for obtaining thread from the cocoons of the silkworm.



B. LOEWE.

PROCESS FOR OBTAINING THREAD FROM THE COCOONS OF THE SILKWORNH APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. 1912.

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U.,5%3. Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

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rnocnss son OBTAINING THREAD FROM THE cocoons on THE s il won vr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (lot. 24, 1916.

Application filed June 18, 1912. Serial No. 704,314.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD Lonwn, of Rue Labruyere, Paris, France, manufacturer, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes for Obtaining Thread from the Cocoons of the Silkworm, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification.

Hitherto in order to obtain commercial silk thread called raw thread, cocoons of the silk worm have been heated in water in order to soften the gum, after which a certain number of threads derived from the same number of cocoons are united by juxtaposition, these threads adhering together by reason of their gum. These operations necessitate the employment of several apparatus and take a relatively long time; difli-- culties also arise from the fact that solutions are produced and from the fact that these manipulations are dependent on their success in a great measure on the skill of the workers.

Raw silk has hitherto only been wound upon reels contained in a box closed except at the side at which the thread passes in; the interior of the box being heated for the purpose of drying the thread. The silk thus obtained still contains all its gum which must be afterward removed by ungumming the silk after throwing or Weav- 111 lhis invention allows all the difliculties appertaining to the processes now in use to be overcome, and allows for example dry silk thread or raw or thrown silk entirely separated from its gum, and consequently ready for weaving or other use, to be quickly and efficiently obtained in a single machine.

This invention also avoids one of the great difficulties encountered in the processes in use, which consists in suitably assembling the cocoon threads, as these threads vary in size according to the position they occupy in the cocoon and only the skill of the workman can give a good result. Irregularities in the size of thread depend not upon the cocoon threads themselves but upon the larger or smaller proportion of the gum.

According to this process the thread is at once deprived of all its gum, thus allowing a regular thread to be obtained by a purely mechanical operation in which skill plays no part.

According to this invention the cocoons are treated chemically, preferably in the cold, in any suitable vessel, so as completely to eliminate the gum which surrounds the filamentary matter of the cocoons. The reagent employed is an alkaline or alkaline earth solution, employed either in a caustic state or combined with a weak acid such for example as carbonic acid or silicic acid, etc. For example there may be employed a solution of caustic soda having a strength of from 0 to 5 Baum or more but in all cases brought to a degree of concentration such that according to the nature of the co coon the gum only is attacked while the filamentary matter remains unattacked. Cocoons remain in this bath up to thirty minutes or more according to circumstances.

The ungumming solution may be employed alone or additions may be made which serve to moderate or to accelerate its action, for example solutions containing definite amounts of soap. During this treatment the gum is entirely disintegrated and dissolved without altering the filamentary material, as the gum dissolves thecocoon becomes more porous and the solution penetrates it completely without however altering its rounded form or creating any difliculty in the subsequent reeling.

This process avoids on the one hand the troubles of hot spinning and on the other hand avoids the beating which occasions great waste and sometimes the loss of the whole cocoon. Moreover the ungumming processes employed after throwing or weaving are avoided' lVith this process a high efficiency is obtained; the filamentary material is not affected by the chemical baths but the cocoons being no longer injured by beating and being entirely liberated from their gum, the silk can be reeled off from the cocoon until the end. The only waste consists in the cases or upper layers formed of a thread of irregular texture which are removed at the moment of reeling.

After treatment in the chemical bath the ungummed cocoons may either be wound directly, or. arepreferably immersed in a second bath containing water which may be slightly acidulated which has for efiect to dissolve or neutralize the excess of reagent which remains absorbed in the cocoon. After immersion in the second bath the cocoons are reeled and the thread thus obtained (single filament or raw thread formed by the reunion of several filaments twisted together) which dries very rapidly during its travel through the free air between the vessel and the winding members, is wound directly upon reels or bobbins or spun onto reels or delivered directly to the mill; these different apparatus of known construction may be combined in any suitable manner with the machine for reeling the cocoons. In

a word the single filament or the raw thread I suitably perforated walls to allow the liquid to circulate very freely; these baskets provided with covers 0 are carried by supports d fast with the tank a,. A pipe 6 serves as the inlet for the ungumming solution which passes out of the tank through the pipe 6, after having remained in the tank a, until exhausted. The solution is then renewed and the old exhausted solution can be treated for the recovery of the ungumming mate rials remaining in it and also the gummy matters which. are of industrial value when suitably treated. .The tank a, may be hermetically closed by a cover f which allows a vacuum to be obtained in a, for the purpose of causing the solution to penetrate'better -into the cocoons.

The cocoons, each inclosed in a sort of small ball 9 having perforated walls, which prevent them from becoming entangled after the removal of the gum, are placedin the baskets 7 which are immersed in the ungumming solution contained in the tanks a, for the required time. WVhen the ungumming is complete the baskets b are removed and are immersed in pure or acidulated water contained in the tank a Cocks e 6 serve for the inlet and outlet of water. Or the cocoons inclosed in their balls 9 may be taken directly from the tank a, and placed in the tank a where the excess of ungumming liquid taken up by the cocoon is dissolved.

Above the tank a are arranged upon suitable supports hrods i of glass for example or of other material of a color soft to the eye. These rods can slide transversely upon their supports and be all arranged at the side of the apparatus in order not to incom mode the workmen. .When the cocoons are washed the workman opensa ball g, takes mences to reel the cocoon by drawing the thread and laying it over some one of the rods 2'. When the thread j has been seized the workman may leave the cocoon free to swim on the surface of the water in the tank 64 or he may replace the cocoon in the small ball 9 provided with a suitable opening for the passage of the silk thread, close the vessel and allow it to fall back into the tank an where it remains during the reeling of the cocoon its weight insuring proper tension of the thread and preventing the cocoons from becoming injured by rolling one on the other and becoming entangled. The winder has only to take the threads ready for winding which lie upon the rods z and bring them to some suitable apparatus such as reels.

In the drawing the threads are shown (lirectly wound (either each separately or several together with or without dies k which equalize the size,) upon bobbins Z in the known manner. The distance of the tank (1 from the bobbins Z should be such that the threads arrive dry at the bobbins. The reeling of the cocoons takes place until the end without impediment, the threads do not break and they retain all their elasticity. The reeling is facilitated by the porous texture of the cocoon thus ungummed and completely impregnated with liquid which properly separates the fibers and maintains its rounded shape.

In place of directly winding the threads, each separately or several juxtaposed, upon bobbins I may while reeling the cocoons by means of any suitable arrangement double the thread uniting together a certain number of more or less stretched threads derived from the like number of cocoons so as to obtain a strong and homogeneous raw thread ready to be woven for example. This doubling of the threads may also take place subsequently and after winding the threads upon the bobbins as previously described. Above the rods 71 may be arranged pegs m of porcelain, glass, metal, etc., screwed upon a rod 72 between which pegs the threads are passed so as to insure perfect tension before passing to the bobbins Z. There may be combined with this apparatus any known appliances for winding cocoons or throwing silk such as bobbins, etc. by means of which I can obtain with a single machine and in a relatively short time from the crude cocoon, threads of varying twist ready to be woven and entirely ungummed which in a word may be directly and immediately utilized for any use desired.

I claim- 1. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons which comprises treating such cocoons in a bath containing an alkaline ungumming agent, and thereafter winding thread in its undried condition from the treated cocoons.

2. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons, which comprises treating such cocoons in a bath containing an alkaline ungumming agent and another substance capable of regulating the activity of said ungumming agent, and thereafter winding thread in its undried condition from the treated cocoons.

3. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons which comprises treating such cocoons in a bath containing an ungumming agent, exposing the treated cocoons to a bath for removing the degumining agent, and thereafter winding thread in its undried condition from the cocoons.

4. The process of obtaining threads from silk worm cocoons which comprises ungumming such cocoons in the cold, and thereafter winding thread from the cocoons thus treated.

5. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons which comprises ungu1nming such cocoons in a cold alkaline bath, and thereafter winding thread from the cocoons thus treated.

6. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons which comprises ungumming such cocoons in a cold alkaline bath, treating the cocoons to remove excess alkalinity therefrom, and winding thread from the cocoons thus treated;

7. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons which comprises treating such cocoons in a bath containing an alkaline ungumming agent until the gum is substantially all dissolved, and winding thread from the treated cocoons while they are still wet.

8. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons which comprises ungumming such cocoons in a bath containing an ungumming agent, treating said cocoons in a second bath to neutralize the ungumming agent, and winding thread from the treated cocoons while they are still wet.

9. The process of obtaining thread from silk worm cocoons which comprises ungumming such cocoons in an ungumming bath and winding thread from the treated cocoons while still wet.

10. The process of obtaining thread from BERNARD LOEWE. lVitnesses:

H. C. Coxn,

FREDERIG CoMBn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

